Nino Brown

Nino Brown (1957-1990) was the boss of the Cash Money Brothers gang of Harlem, New York City during the 1980s and early 1990s. He was arrested as the result of an NYPD sting operation, and he was killed by a gun-toting old man as he left the courthouse following the announcement that he would be given a mere one-year prison sentence for his crimes.

Biography
Nino Brown was born in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City in 1957 to a poor African-American family. He was a member of the LA Boys gang while he was young, and he killed a random schoolteacher on 23rd Street to prove his loyalty to the gang leader Jughead; that woman turned out to be future NYPD policeman Scotty Appleton's mother.

Rise of the CMB
Brown would later become the leader of the Cash Money Brothers (CMB) gang, and it rose to be the dominant drug ring in the city after crack cocaine was introduced to the gang by gang member Gee Money. Brown's gang took over the Carter Apartments as a crack den, evicting the tenants and the landlord (who was sent out naked) after killing Big Smitty. Brown's gang brought in a million dollars a week through the sale of crack in the city, and Nino and his gang members wore fancy suits, bought new jewelry, got new haircuts, and frequented the Spotlite nightclub. Brown made the wealthy Selina Thomas his girlfriend, but she became jealous when he began a relationship with Gee Money's girlfriend Uniqua.

Police infiltration
By 1990, Brown was the undisputed boss of Harlem, even having policemen on his payroll. Brown began to stand up to the American Mafia boss Don Armeteo, who he used to give 10% of his profits; however, Brown began to renege on this agreement after making it big, angering the Mafia. Armeteo responded by having Frankie Needles give him a statuette of a black man hanging himself, leading to Brown beating Needles, cutting off his ponytail, and becoming rivals with the Mafia. Eventually, Armeteo decided to move against Brown.

At the same time, the NYPD began to investigate Brown's activities. Mario Stone recruited Scotty Appleton and Nick Peretti to find evidence about Brown's involvement in drug trafficking. Appleton enlisted the help of former stickup kid and crack junkie Pookie Robinson, who infiltrated the gang. Robinson was compromised after sneaking drugs, with Kareem Akbar discovering that he was wired. Robinson was murdered, but the police assaulted the Carter Apartments and forced the drug gang out of the complex. Appleton and Peretti, now without an informant, decided to go undercover to infiltrate the gang. After bribing Frankie Needles, they were put in touch with Gee Money, who thought that they were drug dealers. Under the alias "Mr. Washington", Appleton befriended Brown, saving him from a gun-toting old man who had earlier warned the police about Brown's destructiveness.

Downfall
Later, Brown and the CMB hosted a wedding presided over by Reverend Oates, who was a friend of Brown. At that wedding, Appleton planned to kill Brown, while Peretti snuck into Brown's mansion to collect evidence. The wedding was shot up by Armeteo's mobsters, who killed CMB member Keisha Williams. Selina condemned Brown for his murderous activities, so Brown threw her out and later killed Armeteo and his crew from a speeding motorcycle.

Stone, Appleton, and Peretti then arranged a sting operation to nab Brown. Akbar, who knew that Appleton and the late Pookie Robinson were connected, revealed Brown's true identity, and a shootout ensued, with the Duh Duh Duh Man being killed. That night, Brown confronted Gee Money, who accused Brown of egotism; Brown regretfully killed him. With his gang destroyed, Brown continued to run his criminal empire solo from his apartment, and Appleton and Peretti assaulted the complex. Appleton severely beat Brown, as he knew that Brown had killed his mother in his gang initiation.

Death
Brown was then taken into custody, but he pled guilty to a lesser charge at his trial, claimed that he was forced to help the gang through threats, and identified Akbar as the leader. When Brown was sentenced to one year in prison, Appleton was outraged. However, justice would soon be delivered. As Brown spoke with reporters outside of the courtroom, he was shot by the old man, who confronted him for one last time before blasting him in the chest. Brown fell over the balcony to his death, putting an end to the cruel gangster.